A VERY ANCIENT art,
practiced at one time by all Christians, is the technique known as lectio
divina - a slow, contemplative praying of the Scriptures which enables the
Bible, the Word of God, to become a means of union with God. This ancient
practice has been kept alive in the Christian monastic tradition, and is one of
the precious treasures of Benedictine monastics and oblates. Together with the
Liturgy and daily manual labor, time set aside in a special way for lectio
divina enables us to discover in our daily life an underlying spiritual rhythm.
Within this rhythm we discover an increasing ability to offer more of ourselves
and our relationships to the Father, and to accept the embrace that God is
continuously extending to us in the person of his Son Jesus Christ.

Lectio -
reading/listening

THE ART of lectio
divina begins with cultivating the ability to listen deeply, to hear with the
ear of our hearts as St. Benedict encourages us in the Prologue to the Rule.
When we read the Scriptures we should try to imitate the prophet Elijah. We
should allow ourselves to become women and men who are able to listen for the
still, small voice of God (I Kings 19:12); the faint murmuring sound which is
God's word for us, God's voice touching our hearts. This gentle listening is an
atunement to the presence of God in that special part of God's creation which
is the Scriptures.

THE CRY of the
prophets to ancient Israel was the joy-filled command to Listen! Sh'ma
Israel: Hear, O Israel! In lectio divina we, too, heed that command and turn to
the Scriptures, knowing that we must hear - listen - to the voice of God,
which often speaks very softly. In order to hear someone speaking softly we must
learn to be silent. We must learn to love silence. If we are constantly speaking
or if we are surrounded with noise, we cannot hear gentle sounds. The practice
of lectio divina, therefore, requires that we first quiet down in order to hear
God's word to us. This is the first step of lectio divina, appropriately called
lectio - reading.

THE READING
or listening which is the first step in lectio divina is very different from the
speed reading which modern Christians apply to newspapers, books and even to the
Bible. Lectio is reverential listening; listening both in a spirit of silence
and of awe. We are listening for the still, small voice of God that will speak
to us personally - not loudly, but intimately. In lectio we read slowly,
attentively, gently listening to hear a word or phrase that is God's word for us
this day.

Meditatio -
meditation

ONCE WE
have
found a word or a passage in the Scriptures that speaks to us in a personal way,
we must take it in and ruminate on it. The image of the ruminant animal
quietly chewing its cud was used in antiquity as a symbol of the Christian
pondering the Word of God. Christians have always seen a scriptural invitation
to lectio divina in the example of the Virgin Mary pondering in her heart what
she saw and heard of Christ (Luke 2:19). For us today these images are a
reminder that we must take in the word - that is, memorize it - and while gently
repeating it to ourselves, allow it to interact with our thoughts, our hopes,
our memories, our desires. This is the second step or stage in lectio divina -
meditatio. Through meditatio we allow God's word to become His word for us, a
word that touches us and affects us at our deepest levels.

Oratio -
prayer

THE THIRD step in
lectio divina is oratio - prayer: prayer understood both as dialogue with God,
that is, as loving conversation with the One who has invited us into His
embrace; and as consecration, prayer as the priestly offering to God of parts of
ourselves that we have not previously believed God wants. In this
consecration-prayer we allow the word that we have taken in and on which we are
pondering to touch and change our deepest selves. Just as a priest consecrates
the elements of bread and wine at the Eucharist, God invites us in lectio divina
to hold up our most difficult and pain-filled experiences to Him, and to gently
recite over them the healing word or phrase He has given us in our lectio and
meditatio. In this oratio, this consecration-prayer, we allow our real selves to
be touched and changed by the word of God.

Contemplatio -
contemplation

FINALLY, WE simply rest in the presence of
the One who has used His word as a means of inviting us to accept His
transforming embrace. No one who has ever been in love needs to be reminded that
there are moments in loving relationships when words are unnecessary. It is the
same in our relationship with God. Wordless, quiet rest in the presence of the
One Who loves us has a name in the Christian tradition - contemplatio,
contemplation. Once again we practice silence, letting go of our own words; this
time simply enjoying the experience of being in the presence of
God.

2. THE UNDERLYING RHYTHM of LECTIO DIVINA

IF WE are to practice
lectio divina effectively, we must travel back in time to an
understanding that today is in danger of being almost completely lost. In the
Christian past the words action (or practice, from the Greek praktikos) and
contemplation did not describe different kinds of Christians engaging (or not
engaging) in different forms of prayer and apostolates. Practice and
contemplation were understood as the two poles of our underlying, ongoing
spiritual rhythm: a gentle oscillation back and forth between spiritual
activity with regard to God and receptivity.

PRACTICE - spiritual
activity - referred in ancient times to our active cooperation with
God's grace in rooting out vices and allowing the virtues to flourish. The
direction of spiritual activity was not outward in the sense of an apostolate,
but inward - down into the depths of the soul where the Spirit of God is
constantly transforming us, refashioning us in God's image. The active life is
thus coming to see who we truly are and allowing ourselves to be remade into
what God intends us to become.

IN THE early monastic
tradition contemplation was understood in two ways. First was theoria
physike, the contemplation of God in creation - God in the many. Second was
theologia, the contemplation of God in Himself without images or words - God as
The One. From this perspective lectio divina serves as a training-ground for
the contemplation of God in His creation.

IN CONTEMPLATION
we cease from interior spiritual doing and learn simply to be, that is to rest
in the presence of our loving Father. Just as we constantly move back and forth
in our exterior lives between speaking and listening, between questioning and
reflecting, so in our spiritual lives we must learn to enjoy the refreshment of
simply being in God's presence, an experience that naturally alternates (if we
let it!) with our spiritual practice.

IN ANCIENT times
contemplation was not regarded as a goal to be achieved through some method of
prayer, but was simply accepted with gratitude as God's recurring gift. At
intervals the Lord invites us to cease from speaking so that we can simply rest
in his embrace. This is the pole of our inner spiritual rhythm called
contemplation.

HOW DIFFERENT
this ancient understanding is from our modern approach! Instead of recognizing
that we all gently oscillate back and forth between spiritual activity and
receptivity, between practice and contemplation, we today tend to set
contemplation before ourselves as a goal - something we imagine we can achieve
through some spiritual technique. We must be willing to sacrifice our
goal-oriented approach if we are to practice lectio divina, because lectio
divina has no other goal than spending time with God through the medium of His
word. The amount of time we spend in any aspect of lectio divina, whether it be
rumination, consecration or contemplation depends on God's Spirit, not on us.
Lectio divina teaches us to savor and delight in all the different flavors of
God's presence, whether they be active or receptive modes of experiencing Him.

IN lectio divina
we offer ourselves to God; and we are people in motion. In ancient times this
inner spiritual motion was described as a helix - an ascending spiral. Viewed in
only two dimensions it appears as a circular motion back and forth; seen with
the added dimension of time it becomes a helix, an ascending spiral by means of
which we are drawn ever closer to God. The whole of our spiritual lives were
viewed in this way, as a gentle oscillation between spiritual activity and
receptivity by means of which God unites us ever closer to Himself. In just the
same way the steps or stages of lectio divina represent an oscillation back and
forth between these spiritual poles. In lectio divina we recognize our
underlying spiritual rhythm and discover many different ways of experiencing
God's presence - many different ways of praying.

3. THE PRACTICE of LECTIO DIVINA

Private Lectio
Divina

CHOOSE a text of
the Scriptures that you wish to pray. Many Christians use in their daily lectio
divina one of the readings from the Eucharistic liturgy for the day; others
prefer to slowly work through a particular book of the Bible. It makes no
difference which text is chosen, as long as one has no set
goal of covering a certain amount of text: the amount of text covered is in
God's hands, not yours.

PLACE YOURSELF in
a comfortable position and allow yourself to become silent. Some Christians
focus for a few moments on their breathing; other have a beloved prayer word
or prayer phrase they gently recite in order to become interiorly silent. For
some the practice known as centering prayer makes a good, brief introduction
to lectio divina. Use whatever method is best for you and allow yourself to
enjoy silence for a few moments.

THEN TURN to the
text and read it slowly, gently. Savor each portion of the reading, constantly
listening for the still, small voice of a word or phrase that somehow says, I
am for you today. Do not expect lightening or ecstasies. In lectio divina God
is teaching us to listen to Him, to seek Him in silence. He does not reach out
and grab us; rather, He softly, gently invites us ever more deeply into His
presence.

NEXT TAKE
the
word or phrase into yourself. Memorize it and slowly repeat it to yourself,
allowing it to interact with your inner world of concerns, memories and ideas.
Do not be afraid of distractions. Memories or thoughts are simply parts of
yourself which, when they rise up during lectio divina, are asking to be given
to God along with the rest of your inner self. Allow this inner pondering, this
rumination, to invite you into dialogue with God.

THEN, SPEAK to
God. Whether you use words or ideas or images or all three is not
important. Interact with God as you would with one who you know loves and
accepts you. And give to Him what you have discovered in yourself during your
experience of meditatio. Experience yourself as the priest that you are.
Experience God using the word or phrase that He has given you as a means of
blessing, of transforming the ideas and memories, which your pondering on His
word has awakened. Give to God what you have found within your heart.

FINALLY, SIMPLY
rest in God's embrace. And when He invites you to return to your pondering of
His word or to your inner dialogue with Him, do so. Learn to use words when
words are helpful, and to let go of words when they no longer are necessary.
Rejoice in the knowledge that God is with you in both words and silence, in
spiritual activity and inner receptivity.

SOMETIMES IN
lectio divina one will return several times to the printed text, either to savor
the literary context of the word or phrase that God has given, or to seek a new
word or phrase to ponder. At other times only a single word or phrase will fill
the whole time set aside for lectio divina. It is not necessary to anxiously
assess the quality of one's lectio divina as if one were performing or seeking
some goal: lectio divina has no goal other than that of being in the presence of
God by praying the Scriptures.

Lectio Divina as
a Group Exercise

THE most authentic and
traditional form of Christian lectio divina is the solitary or private
practice described to this point. In recent years, however, many different
forms of so-called group lectio have become popular and are now
widely-practiced. These group exercises can be very useful means of
introducing and encouraging the practice of lectio divina; but they should not
become a substitute for an encounter and communion with the Living God that can
only take place in that privileged solitude where the biblical Word of God
becomes transparent to the Very Word Himself - namely private lectio
divina.

IN churches of the Third
World where books are rare, a form of corporate lectio divina is becoming
common in which a text from the Scriptures is pondered by Christians praying
together in a group. The method of group lectio divina described here was
introduced at St. Andrew's Abbey by oblates Doug and Norvene Vest: it is used as
part of the Benedictine Spirituality for Laity workshops conducted at the Abbey
each summer.

THIS FORM
of
lectio divina works best in a group of between four and eight people. A group
leader coordinates the process and facilitates sharing. The same text from the
Scriptures is read out three times, followed each time by a period of silence
and an opportunity for each member of the group to share the fruit of her or his
lectio.

THE FIRST reading
(the text is actually read twice on this occasion) is for the purpose of hearing
a word or passage that touches the heart. When the word or phrase is found, it
is silently taken in, and gently recited and pondered during the silence which
follows. After the silence each person shares which word or phrase has touched
his or her heart.

THE SECOND
reading (by a member of the opposite sex from the first reader) is for the
purpose of hearing or seeing Christ in the text. Each ponders the word that
has touched the heart and asks where the word or phrase touches his or her life
that day. In other words, how is Christ the Word touching his own experience,
his own life? How are the various members of the group seeing or hearing Christ
reach out to them through the text? Then, after the silence, each member of the
group shares what he or she has heard or seen.

THE THIRD and
final reading is for the purpose of experiencing Christ calling us forth into
doing or being. Members ask themselves what Christ in the text is calling them
to do or to become today or this week. After the silence, each shares for the
last time; and the exercise concludes with each person praying for the person on
the right.

THOSE WHO who
regularly practice this method of praying and sharing the Scriptures regularly
find it to be an excellent way of developing trust within a group; it also is an
excellent way of consecrating projects and hopes to Christ before more formal
group meetings. A summary of this method for group lectio divina is appended at
the end of this article.

Lectio Divina on
Life

IN THE ancient
tradition lectio divina was understood as being one of the most important
ways in which Christians experience God in creation. After all, the Scriptures
are part of creation! If one is daily growing in the art of finding Christ in
the pages of the Bible, one naturally begins to discover Him more clearly in
aspects of the other things He has made. This includes, of course, our own
personal history.

OUR OWN lives are
fit matter for lectio divina. Very often our concerns, our relationships, our
hopes and aspirations naturally intertwine with our pondering on the Scriptures,
as has been described above. But sometimes it is fitting to simply sit down and
read the experiences of the last few days or weeks in our hearts, much as we
might slowly read and savor the words of Scripture in lectio divina. We can
attend with the ear of our hearts to our own memories, listening for God's
gentle presence in the events of our lives. We thus allow ourselves the joy of
experiencing Christ reaching out to us through our own memories. Our own
personal story becomes salvation history.

FOR THOSE who are
new to the practice of lectio divina a group experience of lectio on
life can provide a helpful introduction. An approach that has been used at
workshops at St. Andrew's Priory is detailed at the end of this article. Like
the experience of lectio divina shared in community, this group experience of
lectio on life can foster relationships in community and enable personal
experiences to be consecrated - offered to Christ - in a concrete way.

HOWEVER, UNLIKE
scriptural lectio divina shared in community, this group lectio on life contains
more silence than sharing. The role of group facilitators or leaders is
important, since they will be guiding the group through several periods of
silence and reflection without the interruption of individual sharing until
the end of the exercise. Since the experiences we choose to read or listen
to may be intensely personal, it is important in this group exercise to
safeguard privacy by making sharing completely optional.

IN BRIEF, one
begins with restful silence, then gently reviews the events of a given
period of time. One seeks an event, a memory, which touches the heart just as a
word or phrase in scriptural lectio divina does. One then recalls the setting,
the circumstances; one seeks to discover how God seemed to be present or absent
from the experience. One then offers the event to God and rests for a time in
silence. A suggested method for group lectio divina on life is given in the
Appendix to this article.

CONCLUSION

LECTIO DIVINA is
an ancient spiritual art that is being rediscovered in our day. It is a way of
allowing the Scriptures to become again what God intended that they should be -
a means of uniting us to Himself. In lectio divina we discover our own
underlying spiritual rhythm. We experience God in a gentle oscillation back and
forth between spiritual activity and receptivity, in the movement from practice
into contemplation and back again into spiritual practice.

LECTIO DIVINA
teaches us about the God who truly loves us. In lectio divina we dare to believe
that our loving Father continues to extend His embrace to us today. And His
embrace is real. In His word we experience ourselves as personally loved by God;
as the recipients of a word which He gives uniquely to each of us whenever we
turn to Him in the Scriptures.

FINALLY, lectio
divina teaches us about ourselves. In lectio divina we discover that
there is no place in our hearts, no interior corner or closet that cannot be
opened and offered to God. God teaches us in lectio divina what it means to be
members of His royal priesthood - a people called to consecrate all of our
memories, our hopes and our dreams to Christ.

Prayer
for EnlightenmentO Holy Spirit,
divine Spirit of light and love, I consecrate to Thee my understanding, my heart
and my will, my whole being for time and for eternity. May my understanding be
always obedient to Thy heavenly inspirations and the teachings of the holy
Catholic Church, of which Thou art the infallible Guide; may my heart be ever
inflamed with love of God and of my neighbor; may my will be ever conformed to
the divine will, and may my whole life be a faithful following of the life and
virtues of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to whom with the Father and Thee be
honor and glory for ever. Amen.